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There were many events at the AC Food and Wine Fest this year. The Blues, Brews and BBQ event was hands down the best one! Even tho it was, no lie, 900 degrees out and this thing was held in the parking lot across from the Showboat Casino, even tho the guys using smokers and grills made it 200 times hotter and even tho the big tents were no help from the heat, it still was a blast!

Yes, there was a band and yes, there was a lot of beer. But hey, I went for the BBQ!!

First up was Devil’s Alley. They are a, surprise, bar and grille in downtown Philly at 19th and Chestnut Sts. Chef Brian Fidiam come with a something offbeat, but still awesome! Spicy Dry Rub Wings. Now when I say these things were moist, tender and delicious, believe me. I ate, well, I coulda put their kids thru college. Let’s just leave it at that!

Devil’s Alley Spicy Dry Rub Wings

Next up was Smokin’ Betty’s, a place down at 11th and Sansom sts, in downtown Philly. They brought their signature Riblets. Now, some of you might remember places like Applebee’s who would have all you could eat riblets. these are not that! Not that! Not even close! The sweet sauce mingles with the porky goodness and the fat disintegrates right as it touches your tongue. Again, I think I ate a whole table’s worth.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ Riblets

Also, I cannot go much further without a shoutout to some neighbors of mine I ran into and went to a few events with! Maureen is a huge fan of the blog and her kids (All grown up now. I am so old!) love going to food events. Also, a shoutout to Brigid’s boyfriend Joe who bought a 5 gallon oak barrel in which to brew beer inside! I want to see how that turns out! They also kindly showed me some of the more awesome things I’m writing about today! So, hats off to Joe and the Ramseys!

Joe, Brigid, Maureen & Rob

Paula Deen was big and loud at the event and she cracked everyone up. As you can see in the picture, she’s lost a bunch of weight, as has Michael. She was really loving talking to the crowd, got onto the topic of her Diabetes and having to eat better and lose weight. Her son Bobby has been helping them eat better (and she plugged his show “Not My Mama’s Meals”, in which he remakes some of her recipes in a way that won’t kill you…as fast), which has helped with the weight loss, but she didn’t put a big shine on the whole thing. She basically pined what we all feel, that weight loss is hard and sometimes you just want that donut, but you gotta stick to it. Sometimes tho, have that donut! Am I saying Paula Deen, Queen of Butter, was being realistic? Yes, I am! Good god, anything is possible I think.

Paula Deen & her man Michael

Paula also brought along her Braised Beef Brisket. I have never actually tasted anything she has made (or, as it was probably at this event, supervised the making of), and this brisket was pretty fantastic. It had a great crust on it and the sauce had a kick but with a smokey backend. It was right on!

Paula Deen Braised Beef Brisket

This little puppy melted the socks right off my feet. Local Smoke BBQ brought their world-famous Smoked Jalapeno Poppers. When I saw the sign, I was intrigued. However, I have a problem with Jalapenos these days. You see, I’m getting kind of old and certain things just, well, tie me up into knots. They turn my body into a festival of terror. I actually start twitching when I see seeds sometimes. Once I was assured there were no seeds, I dug in and wowza! A hollow Jalapeno stuffed with a cream cheese and pulled pork filling, wrapped in dry-rubbed bacon and slow-smoked to perfection & served with BBQ ranch dipping sauce. Pop that sucker right in your mouth and your eyes immediately roll to the back of your head. You need to sit down. The layers of flavor melt all over your mouth. These things are a National Treasure. These things should be on every tv show in the land. These things are amazing.

Local Smoke BBQ Slow Smoked Jalapeno Poppers

Tyler Florence was in attendance at the fest as well. He brought up Paula and then later came out and mingled amongst the sweaty unwashed. When I say this guy was the nicest fellow I have come across, believe it. I approached him, told him my blog name and said maybe he should check it out and he repeated it back, and said he would. I got the feeling from him, well, he just might. He then asked if I wanted a picture and I snapped one of just him and then he insisted we take one together (of which I will spare you of because we both look like we just climbed out of a pool). I felt bad for him, he was wearing that chef coat and he was soaked all the way thru. But he stayed and took more pics, talked to people, signed autographs and all. I know they all get paid to be at these things but the guy is a trooper (and just as cute in person as he is on tv).

Tyler Florence

Zac Pelaccio is a world travelin’ dude. He’s written a book called “Eat With Your Hands” and pushes that exact idea: to get into with your food. He also owns 2 restaurants: Fatty Crab and Fatty Cue. This guy knows what’s what.

Zak Pelaccio

Zak was working with Amstel Light and made a Pork Burger with Twig Farm Goat Cheese, Citrus Mayo, and Onion Jam served on a soft rye burger bun.

Pelaccio Pork Burger

It was juicy and very well seasoned. However, I am not a fan of goat cheese. I keep trying and trying but no go. The Ramsey’s really liked it tho, it seemed. I really wanna visit one of Zak’s places tho, they sound amazing. You can order a half pound of deep fried bacon!!

Pelaccio Pork Burger Side Cut

The biggest, brightest part of the day was from Dinosaur BBQ! I didn’t think it was the same one in Harlem, from which I have heard many fantastically awesome things from people I know. They didn’t mention that on the menu, they just mentioned Newark. Turns out, it was! And oh my dear mother of all that is good and holy on this planet and the next, this thing was transcendent.

Dinosaur BBQ Beef Brisket Mini

Look close at the meat, you’ll see the smoke ring. Look closer and you’ll see how juicy that meat was. Look again and see the amazing sauce they laid on there. I walked away looking like a toddler who fought a plate of spaghetti and I did not care. Not one stinkin’ bit. It was that good. I was sweaty, tired, and covered in bbq sauce and it was some of the best BBQ meat I have ever had. Unreal. UNREAL.

Whew! So that was the Blues, Brews and BBQ event! I left there seeing BBQ everywhere I went. I should say that two of my favorite beer companies were there as well, Anderson Valley and Pyramid Brewing! Check them out when you get a chance, you will not be disappointed!

Thanks to the AC Food & Wine Fest crew for having me and thanks to Joe & The Ramseys for hanging out! It was a blast and I can’t wait for next year!

There aren’t many things in this world that I really love. Ok, maybe there are. But one of the things I really love in life is…BEER! I’m no beer snob tho, I like cheap beer, expensive beer, mass produced beer and little teeny craft beer. I love supporting local breweries and I find it all pretty fascinating. So, when I got a chance to go to the Atlantic City Beer Fest, I was pretty excited!

The AC Beer Fest is held at the Atlantic City Convention Center, which is pretty nice, for a convention center. The parking was sweet too. When you entered the room, you got to see a great welcome (click any picture to embiggen!):

Welcome To The Atlantic City Beer Fest!

Click the picture for the bigger view. I was super early so I hung out and watched the guys carve this out of a giant pile of sand. It was impressive!

When you go to one of these beer fests, they don’t give you a big solo cup for you to go nuts with, you’d be puking in a half hour. They give you a small glass, so that you’ll be puking in 3 hours instead. Behold!

The Tiny Glass

Don’t let it fool you, it packs a wallop.

I Love You Magic Hat

Next up I ran into the Magic Hat mobile! The guys working the booth were so cool and they offered me some of their new summer beer: Elder Betty; a berry flavored beer. It was delicious and I can’t wait to buy some! I’m a big fan of their Circus Boy as well.

Pyramid Brewers

Next to the Magic Hat booth was Pyramid Brewing. They are based in Northern California and have tons of different kinds of beers, both seasonal and year round. The guys manning the booth were great and their beer was some of the best stuff I have had in a long time. They are currently working on getting into my area, so here’s to hoping!

Dogfish Head!

Some of my favorite beers come from a brewery in Delaware called Dogfish Head Brewery! The 60 minute, the 90 minute and the Punkin’ Ale are 3 of my all time favorites. I measure all Pumpkin Ales against their Punkin’. Sam and the gang really put out some quality stuff. I’m such a huge fan!

One brewer that I didn’t get a picture of but thought they had, hands down, the best beer around, was Anderson Valley Brewing. I had some of their Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale, and it blew me away. Kinda chocolately, and kinda fantastic. I can’t wait for winter again to get my hands on it (if they can get out here to PA).

Here are some pics of a few other brewers that set up shop!

Sierra Nevada

B. Nektar Meadery

Yes! They not only sell Mead, but it’s fantastic. I had a raspberry one that was out of this world. They are based out of Detroit. Go figure.

Blue Point Rastafar Rye

The Woodchuck Cider Peeps!

Flying Dog Peeps

And of course there were beer related wares such as:

Beer In A Carton? Sure!!

This beer in a carton thing is genius! Does it come with a straw?

Awesome Growlers

The growlers were really beautiful. Click the picture to see how lovely the glass really looks.

Whenever you go to any kind of convention, there are always oddball things to see. This place was no different. For instance…

The Sierra Nevada Bottle and the Guinness Pint!

There is the Sierra Nevada Bottle and the dancing Guinness pint. The Guinness pint might have been more of a bust-a-move type of guy but the Sierra Nevada Bottle was just more fun.

Did I just review guys in mascot suits? Yep.

Moving on…

The WZXL Lady and me

I was stuffing my face to try and soak up some of the beer in my stomach (review coming super soon!) when I was approached by the WZXL Girl. Can you guess which one is me? I bet you can’t…

Also, if you look closely, you’ll see a bunch of pretzels around my (or the ZXL girl?) neck. Yelp was there offering you a chance to put pretzels on strings for a necklace after giving them your email address. I do love pretzels…

Awesome Picture

I had to post this.

It pretty much speaks for itself.

Enjoy.

Lucy The Elephant Volunteers!

Lucy the Elephant lives in Margate, NJ. She is a giant building in the shape of an elephant. She is also 3 years older then the Statue Of Liberty and the oldest example of Zoomorphic Architecture. She is also a really cool thing that you never, ever get to see anywhere else. In order to keep Lucy up and operating, they are always looking to raise some money. Feel free to donate, visit or buy some merch to help the cause! It’s the original and outstanding work like this that makes America the Land of Originality!

The (Not) Dapper Dans

I have no idea who these guys were, but they were very friendly and reminded me of the Dapper Dans from Disneyland.

Maybe it was the beer talking but I wanted to give them a hug!

Great T-Shirt

And of course, this shirt, which almost made me shoot beer out of my nose.